. . . The SUNY New Paltz softball team will host an indoor clinic on February 2 from noon to 5 p.m. in Elting Gymnasium. The clinic is open to all girls ages 12-16. SUNY New Paltz Head Softball Coach Alan Dunefsky and Pitching Coach Ken Swart will cover the fundamentals of fielding, throwing, hitting, bunting and pitching. In addition, strength and conditioning and basic strategies will be presented. The registration fee is $25, paid in advance, and $30 on the day of the clinic. There is a $5 discount for six or more players from the same school who attend the clinic. All participants should bring their own gloves, bats and a snack. For more information contact Dunefsky at x3914.

A. J. Williams-Myers (Black Studies) has recently published his essays focusing on the African American in the history of New York in a new book titled, On the Morning Tide: African Americans, History and Methodology in the Historical Ebb and Flow of Hudson River Society. On the Morning Tide (Africa World Press, Inc., Trenton, N.J.) brings together essays that illuminate the history and culture of Africans in the Hudson Valley from the days of the Dutch settlement to contemporary times. Using an array of primary and secondary sources, including diary and oral recordings, the author argues for a more inclusive history, one that contains a substantially improved image of the African American community. Williams-Myers is the former executive director of the New York African American Institute and holds a Ph. D. in African history from UCLA. His previous publications are Destructive Impulses: An Examination of an American Secret in Race Relations - White Violence (1995) and Long Hammering (AWP, 1994).

L.H. Roper (History) presented a paper, "The Fate of Religious Toleration in Proprietary South Carolina," at a session he organized, "Ideal and Reality: Religious Toleration in Colonial British America," for the 117th Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association, the flagship organization for the historical profession in the United States.

Lourdes Giordani (Anthropology), Chaired the panel "Genealogies of Consciousness: Reclaiming Earlier Insights and Envisioning New Avenues for Research" at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association (AAA), New Orleans (Nov. 20-24, 2002). She also served as a faculty mentor for the 101st annual meeting's National Association of Student Anthropologists (NASA)/AAA Mentor Workshop. Her review of the book "Gender and Anthropology" by Frances E. Mascia-Lees and Nancy Johnson Black appears in the Winter 2003 issue of the Women in International Development Bulletin (WID), Vol. 18, No. 2. Her review of the conference panel "On the Edge: Aspects of Consciousness in Flux" appears in "Anthropology News" (December 2002), Vol. 43. No. 9. She was also invited (and accepted) to become a member of the editorial advisory board that is evaluating the future edition of the general text Cultural Anthropology: The Field Study of Human Beings by Alexander Moore (Collegiate Press).

Narcyz Roztocki (Business) presented a research paper entitled "Is the Applicability of Web-Based Surveys for Academic Research Limited to the Field of Information Technology?" at the 36th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 2003), held in on Hawaii, the Big Island, on January 6-9. The paper was co-authored with Nawal Ait Lahri (SUNY New Paltz) and was published in the conference proceedings.

Sally Schultz (Business), Narcyz Roztocki (Business) and Joan Hollister (Marist College) presented "An International Comparison of the Use of Cost Management and Financial Tools," at the 2002 American Academy of Accounting and Finance (AAAF) Conference in New Orleans, LA, during December 2002.

Joel Neuman (Business) participated in a two-hour live nationwide satellite TV broadcast with Robert A. Petzel, M.D.of the Dept. of Veteran Affairs in Minneapolis, Michelle Y. Blakely, C.H.E. of the Dept. of Veteran Affairs, Chicago Health Care Systems, and Anthony D. McCray of the Dept. of Veteran Affairs, Houston Medical Center on Stress and Aggression in the Workplace. Neuman also presented a paper, "The role of the workplace in workplace bullying: AKA, the social determinants of antisocial behavior" at the meeting of the Industrial Relations Research Association, Washington, DC. January 4, 2003.

The book, Chinese Communication Theory and Research: Reflections, New Frontiers and New Directions (Ablex/Greenwood, 2002) lead-edited by Wenshan Jia (Communication & Media) in collaboration with Xing Lu from Depaul University and D. Ray Heisey from Kent State University has been recommended by the American Library Association to its member libraries. John A. Lent, Professor of International and Comparative Communication and Asian Studies, wrote in his review of the book published by ALA newsletter Choice, December 2002, Vol. 40, No. 4: "The book itself should be compulsory reading in every communication theory or research and intercultural communication -- at all levels."

Gerald Benjamin (Dean, Liberal Arts and Sciences) was recently recognized in "Choice" magazine for his book on United Sates Politics, Regionalism and Realism: a Study of Governments in the New York Metropolitan Area (Brookings, 2001). Every year, "Choice" editors single out the most significant works reviewed in "Choice" during the previous calendar year. Benjamin's book made the list, which reflects the best in scholarly titles and attracts extraordinary attention from the academic library community.

Edward J. Renehan Jr. (Political Science, '80) will address the annual meeting of the Rhode Island Coalition of Library Advocates (COLA) to be held in the Governor's Reception Chamber in the Rhode Island State House, Providence, on Tuesday, February 11, 2003, at 5 p.m. Renehan is the author of several books, including The Kennedy's at War (Doubleday, 2002), The Lion's Pride (Oxford University Press, 1998), The Secret Six (Crown, 1995), and John Burroughs: An American Naturalist (Chelsea Green, 1992).

Amy Emerman, ('95) is living in New York City and working as a teacher and a singer/songwriter. She graduated Bank Street College in 2002 with a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education. She is teaching nursery school on the Upper West Side and is pursuing a career on the side as a singer/songwriter.

Valerie Eldridge, a dedicated and devoted member of this university, served as transfer admission advisor, director of international admission, assistant dean of student advising, and after retirement continuing her service to New Paltz at the Haggerty Institute, died two weeks ago. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Valerie's name to: American Cancer Society, 419 East Main St., Wisnor Professional Building, Suite 307B, Middletown, NY 10940 or Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties, 800 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh, NY 12550.

News Pulse is published for the faculty and staff of SUNY New Paltz by the Office of Public Affairs, Division of Advancement. It is printed in house on recycled paper and is also available online. To submit information to the newsletter, please complete the online submission form. If you are requesting inclusion in a particular issue, your submission must be received by noon on Tuesday of the prior week. Contact Eric Gullickson at x3187 with any questions.